Means for supporting rotary cylinders



ep 9 7 l.. l. YEoMANs MEANS FOR SUPPORTING ROTARY CYLINDERS Filed Nov. 30, 1925 ade/7 yen/zml f Patented sept. 2o, 1927.

LUCIEN I. YEOMANS, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MEANS FOR SUI'PPORTING ROTARY CYLINDERS.

Application ledNovember 30, 1925. Serial No. 72,209.

This invention relates to centrifugal casting machines, rotary driers, cement kilns,

and other apparatus comprising cylinders mounted for rotation.

In such machines the cylinder is usually supported and confined between rollers, there being a plurality of rollers below the cylinder at each. end thereof, and one roller above the cylinder at each end thereof. The invention pertains, in part, to an improved mounting for the lower rollers whereby said rollers are enabled to adjust themselves so that the rollers always bear against the cylinder across the entire periphery of the rollers, and in part to an improved mounting for the top roller.

Referring first to the lower rollers: These are mounted in concave supports so that they may be free to adjust themselves so that the entire face of the roller may bear against the cylinder. Thus, if it should become necessary to reduce the diameter of one of the lower rollers so as to obtain a true surface, all of the lower rollers will be free to swivel or adjust themselves in their concave seats so that all of said rollers have a full bearing upon the cylinder. v

In explaining the obfects of the linvention asit relates to the top rollers, reference may be made ,to centrifugal casting machines, as, for example, those used in the casting of iron pipes. Because of changes inthe diameter of the mold due to temperature changes, it is necessary to mount the top rollers so that they may yield. If the rotating parts be imperfectly balanced the mold will tend to jump, and unless restrained would impose excessive stresses upon the lower supporting rollers. Moreover, whenthe molten metal is dumped into the rapidly rotating mold, centrifugal force acting upon the Huid metal tends to throw the mold up olf the lower supporting roller, and if such rising movement be not rest-rained the mold will drop back with Great force upon the lower supporting rollers and subject said rollers and their ball bearings to excessive stresses. It ,is therefore necessary to provide means for mounting the top rollers so that they may yield sutlicient-ly to accommodate expansion and contraction of the mold, together with means to prevent the mold from rising oft' its lower rollers to a material extent.

Centrifugal casting machines are sometimes used for casting tubular articles which are of greater diameter at. one end than at the other, and in such instances'there is a tendency for one end of the mold to expand or jump more than the other. It is therefore desirable to mount the top rollers so that they may cant slightly in order that they may bear against the mold across the entire periphery of the roller instead of only at one edge of the roller. However, the means to limit yielding movement of the roller mustbe of such character that if the roller be rising in inclined positionit shall not be thrown out of such position by `engagement with the movement-limiting means, but on the contrary shall bear across its entire periphery against the mold when stopped by said movement-limiting means.

The object of the present invention, generally stated, is to provide mountings for the lower rollers and the top rollers which shall fulfil the practical requirements hereinbefore stated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view of a centrifugal casting machine embodying the features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view taken in ted line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental view of the top roller on a larger scale than that of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental plan view of the means for supporting the top roller.

Referring first to Fig. 1: The mold A is shown as resting upon and between bottom rollers 1. Each of said rollers is mounted upon a spindle 2 (Fig. 2), ball bearings 3 the plane of dotbeing interposed between the roller and its spindle. The ends of the spindle are se.- cured'in slide blocks 4 whichV are connected together by a yoke 5. The slide blocks 4 are slidably mounted between guides 6. The lower sides of the slide blocks 4 are convex to conform to concave seats 7. In the construction shown in the present drawings, the seats 7 are formed upon the arc of a circle the center of which normally lies in the axis of the mold A.

the roller 9 are located two ball bearings 13 by means of which the roller is mounted for free rotation upon its spindle.

The head 8 is provided with a cap 14 having therein two openings 15 in which members 16 in the form of sleeves are mounted for vertical sliding 'mvement Helically coiled expansive springs 17 are interposed between the blocks 11 and the sleeves 16. On the upper end of each of the sleeves 16 are two bosses 18 having convex upper surfaces which are pressed against concave surfaces on the end portions of an equalizing bar 19 through the action ot the springs 17. At its mid-portion the bar 19 is confined by means of a bolt 20 which extends through 'a central opening 21 in the cap 14 and has a head 22 underlying said cap. The bolt 20 extends freely through an opening 23 in the middle of the equalizing bar, said opening being large enough to allow the har to tilt. 24 is a washer, 25 an adjusting nut and 26 a lock nut on the bolt 20 above the equalizing bar. 19.

Plungers 27 bear at their lower ends l' against the slide blocks 11 and extend freely through the sleeves 16 and into proximity to t-he ends of the equalizing bar 19. Said bar carries two adjustable stop screws 28 which are alined with the respective plungers 27 and are locked in adjusted position by means of nuts 29.

The extent of movement of the top roller 9 which is necessary to provide for expansion andcontraction of the mold is comparatively slight, the stop screws 28 being adjusted to provide the necessary clearance of, say, oneeighth of an inch-V between the stop screws and the plungers 27 when the roller 9 is in its normal horizontal position.

In operation, the roller 9 is pressed against the mold A by the springs 17 If more pressure be exerted upon one edge of the roller than uponthe other, the roller is free to tilt so as to maintain contact with the mold across the entire width. of the roller. If, for example, the'left-hand portion of the roller should rise, asvviewed in Fig. 3, the left-hand slide block 11 will move upwardl Such movement may continue until theV p unger 27 has been forced against the alined stop screw 28, causing the equalizing bar 19 to rock, thereby forcing the right-hand stop screw 28 againust the adjacent plunger 27 and thereby pushing the right-hand slide block 11 down until l the entire face of the roller bears against the mold. As shown in Figs.'2. and. 3, there is sufficient clearance .between the slide blocks 11 and the bottoms of the guideways 10 to permit the spindle 12 to rock.

It will be seen that the springs 17, sleeves 16 and equalizing bar 19 constitute yieldable 'means permitting differential movement of the ends of the spindle 12; that the lungers 27 and stops 28 constitute adjustab e-means roller; and that the movement-limiting means is of such character that the roller, if l stopped in inclined position, is permitted to remain in such position so as to bear iat against the mold.

As indicated in Fig. 1, the bottom rollers 1 yare mounted to rock in planes which are approximately radial of the cylinder A. The top rollers 11 also are Lmounted for rocking movement in a plane approximately radial of the cylinder. Thus all the rollers are free to accommodate themselves to any slight changes in the position of the cylinder from whatever causes, while at the same time the rollers restrain the cylinder and keep it in proper working position.v

I claim las my invention:

l. The combination of a rotary cylinder, supporting means for the cylinder l:omprising a top roller, and means for yieldably supporting said roller 'so that it may bear l along its entire periphery against the cylinder and permitting differential movement of the opposite ends ot the roller, said yieldable support-ing means comprising a spindle on which the roller is mounted;v slide blocks carrying opposite endsl of the spindle, a structure providing guideways for said slide blocks, two sleeves slidably mounted in said structure, coiled expansive sprin s interposed between said slide blocks an sleeves, an equalizing bar bearing at its ends against said sleeves, a pivotal mounting for the midportion of said equalizing bar, plungers bearling against said slide blocks and extending slidably through saidsleeves, and adjustable stops carried by said equalizing bar-for the lends of said plungers, said stops being nor m5 mally spaced slightly away from sai plungers, and said slide blocks being free to tilt slightly in 'their guideways.

2.. The combination of a rotary cylinder, supporting means .for the cylinder4 comprising a top roller. a-nd means for yieldably supporting said roller so that it `may bear along its entire periphery against the cylinder and permitting dil'erential movement ofthe opposite ends of the roller, said yield-l able supporting means comprising a spindle on which the roller is mounted, an equalizing bar, a pivotal mounting for the mid-porz tion of said bar, means including coiled expansive springs interposed between said spindle and bar, and adjustable means to limit the independent movement of the ends of said spindle. Y

3.v The combination of a rotary cylinder, supporting means for the cylinder comprising a top roller, and means for yieldably supporting said roller so that it may bea-r along its entire periphery against the .cylinder and permitting differential movement of the opposite ends of the roller, said yieldble supporting means comprising a spindle lll on which the `roller is mounted, slideblocks carrying opposite ends of the spindle, a structure providing guideways for Said slide blocks, two members slidably mounted in\k said structure, coiled expansive springs interposed between said slide blocks and members, an equalizing bar bearing at its endsagainst sald members, a pivotal mounting for the mid-portion of said bar, and adjustable means lfor limiting the independent yielding' movement of the opposite ends of the roller.

4. The combination of a rotary cylinder, supportingmeans for the cylinder comprising a plurality of bottom rollers supported for tilting movement, atop roller, and means for yieldably supporting said top roller so that it may bear along its entire periphery against the cylinder and permitting differential movement of the opposite ends of the roller, said yieldable supporting means comprising a spindle on which the roller is mounted, slide blocks carrying opposite ends of the spindle, a structureproviding guideways for said slide blocks, tvv'oV members slidably mounted` in said structure, coiled expansive springs interposed between said said bar.

5. The combination of a rotary cylinder, supporting means for the cylinder comprising a plurality of tiltable bottom rollers a top roller, and means for yieldabl supporting said top roller so that it may bear along its entire periphery. against' the cylinder, said .yieldable means permitting differential movement of the oppositexends of the roller.

6. The combination of abrotary cylinder, lower supporting rollers for the cylinder, a top roller supported for tilting movement and mounted to yieid to accommodate expansion and contraction of the cylinder, and

means to prevent the cylinder from jumping off the lower rollers, said means being arranged to limit the yielding movement of the top roller, when tilted, Without deflecting the roller from such tilted position.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

'LUCIEN I. YEOMANS. 

